There is no use in my denying the fact I must have inherited it with my
father's blood!
Once, Dr Hellyer spying about after me, on account of my not having
turned up either at dinner or tea--a most unusual circumstance--found me
messing with the hands in the fo'c's'le of a coal brig.
I recollect he pushed me along back to the school the whole way, holding
me at arm's length by the scruff of the neck; and, besides the
infliction of a round dozen of "pandies" and an imposition of five
hundred lines of Virgil's Aeneid to learn by heart, threatened me with
all sorts of pains and penalties should he ever catch me going down to
the quay again.
But, all his exhortations were of no avail! Go to the harbour amongst
the vessels I would, whenever I could get an opportunity of sneaking
away unnoticed; and, the more I saw of ships and sailors, the more
firmly I made up my mind to go to sea as soon as I saw a chance of
getting afloat, in spite of the very different arrangements Uncle George
had made for my future walk in life--arrangements that were recalled to
my mind every quarter in the letters my relation periodically wrote to
me after the receipt of the Doctor's terminal reports on my character
and educational progress. These latter were generally of a damaging
nature, letting me in for a lecture on my bad behaviour, coupled with
the prognostication, which I am sure really came from Aunt Matilda
through this side wind, that unless I mended my ways speedily I should
never be promoted to that situation of clerk in uncle's office which was
being held open for me as soon as I was old enough, and the thought of
which--with the enthralling spell of the ocean upon me--I hated!
To tell the strict truth, these quarterly reports of Dr Hellyer in
respect of my conduct were not wholly undeserved; for, with the
exception of displaying a marked partiality for mathematics, which,
fortunately for my subsequent knowledge of navigation, Mr Smallpage
kindly fostered and encouraged to the best of his ability, my studies
were terribly irksome to me, and my lessons being consequently
neglected, led to my having impositions without number. I believe I
must have learnt the whole of Virgil by heart, although I could not now
construe the introductory lines of the first book of the Aeneid; and as
for history I could then, nor now, no more tell you the names of the
Roman emperors, or the dates of accession of the various Kings of
England, than I could square the circle, or give you the cubical
contents of the pyramids of Egypt off-hand.
The personal rows, too, that I got into with Dr Hellyer were
innumerable; and I really think he wore out three flat rulers while I
was a member of the school, in inflicting his dearly-loved "pandies" on
my suffering palms.
The most important of these, what I may term "private differences,"
between my worthy preceptor and myself, after my first experience of his
"way" of making the boys obey him, without flogging them, arose from the
same cause--Master Slodgers, my enemy from the date of my entrance
within the select academy, although, if you recollect, he did not "get
the best of me" even then!
Some six months after that memorable occasion, having developed much
bone and sinew in the meantime, besides cultivating the noble art of
self-defence under the tuition of my chum Tom, I challenged the lanky
cur on the self-same ground where he had first assailed me; when I gave
him such a beating that he could not leave his bed in the dormitory for
nearly a week afterwards. For this--what I considered--just
retaliation, I received the encomiums of the majority of the fellows,
who detested Slodgers for his sneaking as well as bullying ways with the
youngsters; but Dr Hellyer, with whom he still continued a favourite,
took my triumph in such ill part, that he treated me to no less than six
dozen "pandies," incarcerating me besides in an empty coal cellar, on a
diet of bread and water, in solitary confinement below for the same
length of time that Slodgers was laid up ill in bed above stairs.
However, after that day I had it all my own way with the boys, for I was
strongly-built and thick-set for my age, looking two years older than I
really was. I could fight and lick all the rest of the fellows at the
time, not excepting even Tom my instructor, although he and I were much
too good friends to try conclusions on the point, and I was the
acknowledged leader of the school. Athletics, indeed, were my strong
point, for I may say, almost without egotism, that I had so cultivated
my muscles to the sad neglect of my proper studies, that I could swim
like a fish, dive like an Indian pearl hunter, run swifter than anybody
else, and play cricket and football with the best; but, as far as my
real school duties were concerned, I'm afraid I was a sad dunce, as I
was always at the bottom of my class.
I am now approaching the period to which these reminiscences of my
school-days have all along tended, albeit I have been a long time in
reaching it.
You may remember my calling your attention to the fact of the Doctor
always marching us to church on Sundays, and heading the procession,
wearing a most peculiar-looking hat the while?
Well, "thereby hangs a tale," as a wise jester says in one of
Shakespeare's plays.
I had just completed my two years' residence under the academical roof;
the summer vacation had come and gone; the boys were all back again at
school, and settled down for the winter term; the month of October had
flown by with unlagging footsteps; and November had come in, gloomy and
dismal, with white fogs and sea mists--such as haunt some parts of the
southern coasts in the autumn.
The "Fifth" was a great anniversary at the establishment.
If Guy Fawkes' Day were uncared for elsewhere, we at all events held the
memory of the defunct conspirator in high reverence; and invariably did
it such honour by the explosion of gunpowder, in the shape of squibs and
crackers as our means afforded.
The pocket-money of those having friends with long purses was saved up
for weeks beforehand for this purpose; while any boys without a regular
allowance had to "beg or borrow," so that they might contribute to the
general fund.
The couple of odd shillings Uncle George had slipped into my hand on
leaving London, had, of course, melted away long ago, and, until this
year, he never seemed to think of renewing the tip, supposing, perhaps,
that I did not want anything, for I was too proud to ask him; but at
Michaelmas, when my birthday came round--I was just fourteen then--he
quite unexpectedly sent me a post-office order for half-a-sovereign in
the possession of which I felt as rich as Croesus.
Tom, naturally, was told of the arrival of this enormous treasure
instantly. Indeed, he accompanied me on the next half-holiday, when we
were allowed out, to get the order cashed; but beyond expending about
eighteenpence in hot three-corner jam tarts and ginger beer, at a
favourite confectioner's patronised by the school, we devoted the sum to
purchasing the best fireworks we could get for the money, carrying our
explosives back to the school carefully concealed on our persons, and
secreting them in our lockers.
"We'll have such a lark!" said Tom.
"Won't it be jolly!" I chimed in, with equal enthusiasm--adding,
however, a moment afterwards, as the reflection occurred to me, "What a
pity, though, Tom, that the Fifth falls this year on a Sunday? I
declare, I never thought of it before!"
"Nor I," said he, and both our faces fell six inches at least.
But, Tom's soon brightened up again, as some happy thought flashed
across his mind.
"Why, it'll be all the better, Martin," he cried out, greatly to my
surprise.
"How can that be?" I exclaimed, indignantly. "The Doctor will never
allow us to have our bonfire, I'm sure!"
"Hush, you stupid," said Tom. "I do declare your brains must be wool-
gathering! Stop a minute and listen to me."
He then whispered to me a plan he had thought of for signalising "the
glorious Fifth," in spite of Dr Hellyer, and in a manner which that
worthy would never dream of. It was a scheme quite worthy of Tom's
fertile imagination.
"Oh, won't it be a lark!" I cried, when he had finished; and we both
then burst into an ecstasy of laughter at the very idea of the thing.